Block Arch Help

[Troutman10]

I'm looking to build a block arch before it's time to tap. I'm not going big by any means. It would be better for me to use wood instead of gas/turkey fryer combo. The block dimensions will obviously be determined by my pan size once I get it. I'm looking to pick up a decent sized banquet pan. How do I connect the chimney in the back? Any help or pictures would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[nace]

check out the ''homemade equipment forum". i'm going to try to do one and add a door from an old detroit jewel stove and a coating of refractory mortor to the inside of the block and tack on a rope door gasket for the pan. i have a 2'x4' divided pan. good luck troutman, have a great day.

[1badsapper]

I built a block arch for my 2x4 pan. It was 4 courses high (32"). I ran the chimney out the back. It worked fine. I also lined it with fire brick to protect the block & mortar from the heat. I filled the cores in the block with sand also, kind of cheap insulation. A 6" diam. chimney should work fine for you. I cut the front out of an old wood stove for the door end.

[1badsapper]

I'm looking to build a block arch before it's time to tap. I'm not going big by any means. It would be better for me to use wood instead of gas/turkey fryer combo. The block dimensions will obviously be determined by my pan size once I get it. I'm looking to pick up a decent sized banquet pan. How do I connect the chimney in the back? Any help or pictures would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Just buy a stove thimble for the size chimney you want to use, cut the block so it will fit & mortar it in. I went up with a masonry chimney but regular stove pipe is fine. Get up about 6' or so for decent draft.

[spencer11]

What i did with mine last year wad take abpeicebof vent duct and shove it in one of the block holes. I had mine 2 blocks high( I recommend 3 blocks high) but on the bottom of the 2 I broke a hole so the smoke could get to the pipe. Deffentally not pretty at all but it worked. Hope thi made sence.

Spencer

[bowtie]

i "built" two block arches last year and just used the blocks as a chimney.after building the "arch" i put two blocks "sideways" to create the opening, leaving them close enough to stack blocks on them and then used a "cap" block behind my two sideways blocks to funnel the smoke up my chimney. it seemed to work fine as i had fire out the top of my blocks quite a bit, but it will crack your blocks. used cap blocks and thick hardwood slabs to create "doors" on the front. may not be very efficient but it worked on good days with my 18"x 36" pan i would get 4 to 4.5 gph. if i had to do it again i would use grates to raise the fire closer to the pan and get air under the fire. also if you have two pans or something to act as pre-heater you can use the heat from coming out the chimney to pre-heat your sap and connect it to your "syrup" pan with flexible copper tubing and a valve. a lot better than dumping cold sap into pan,tends to kill the boil.
ps you need to put a cover over your pre-heater pan to ash out.

[TapME]

I have built a few block arches in my day. Here is a picture of the first block arch.514951505151

[Dan]

Here's my version of a block arch with a door.
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